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Climate
This document discusses climate classification systems and the factors that cause climate change. It begins with an overview of weather versus climate and the Koppen climate classification system. The major climate types are then described in detail, including tropical, dry, mild, continental, and polar climates. Various natural and human factors that can disrupt climate patterns are outlined, such as solar activity, volcanic eruptions, greenhouse gases, and deforestation. Evidence of past climate changes is examined through paleoclimate research techniques. Feedback mechanisms are described that can amplify the impacts of initial changes.
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Climate
- 1. Climate ppt. by RobinD. Seamon 1
- 2. It’s all connected!Changes in one affects the other: 2
- 3. Weather- state ofthe atmosphere at a given time and place Climate- pattern of weather at a given location over time. 30 years + How do we classify climate systems? Koppen Classification System Based on vegetation & average monthly precipitation & temperature 3
- 4. A B CD E Tropical Dry Mild Continental Polar 4VIDEO Koeppen Climate Classification (5 min)
- 5. TROPICAL CLIMATES 5 • mTair masses (wet, warm) • Equator 1. Tropical wet (rain forest- Brazil) • Rainfall 59 inches/year; 68-91 degrees F 2. Tropical monsoon (Asia, W Africa) • Monsoon- wind system that reverses direction every six months: summer- sea to land (WET), winter- land to sea (DRY) 3. Tropical wet and dry (savanna) • 3 seasons: cool & dry, hot & dry, hot & wet
- 6. 6 Tropical monsoon climate: India Tropicalrainforest, Brazil Tropical wet and dry climate- Tanzania
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- 8. DRY CLIMATES 8 • Largedaily & seasonal temperature variations • Hottest weather in arid climates (136 degrees F Libya) • Mountains often block warm, moist air • 30% of Earth’s land 1. Arid (deserts) • 4-12 inches of rain/year • Atacama desert- no rain in recorded history 2. Semiarid (Australian outback) • Enough rains for grasslands • Between arid & tropical climates
- 9. 9 Arid climate: Atacama desert,Chile Semi-arid climate: Australian Outback
- 10. MILD CLIMATES 10 • cT;mT Temperate regions; Distinct cold seasons • Continental air masses 1. Mediterranean (Greece) • Warm summers with short, mild, rainy winters • Cool, clear nights • W coasts of continents 30-40 degrees latitude 2. Humid subtropical (Georgia, US) • Hot, humid summers & Very cold winters • Precipitation spread over the year; hurricanes • E sides of continents 3. Marine (Seattle, WA) • Longer, cooler & wet winters
- 11. 11 Humid subtropical: Mediterranean climate: Slovenia Marineclimate: Washington, US
- 12. 12 • cP; Hotsummers, Colder winters, longer snows, shorter growing seasons, only in N. Hemisphere, away from bodies of water • Transitions between mild & polar climates • Extreme seasonal changes: autumn leaves, thunderstorms/tornadoes 1. Warm summer climate- (E Europe) • wet summers (humid) 2. Cool Summer climate- (Russia) • cold winters/snow from Arctic air masses 3. Subarctic- (Scandinavia, Siberia) • long, cold winters, little precipitation • Boreal, taiga CONTINENTAL CLIMATES
- 13. 13 Cool summer climate- Russia Warmsummer climate- Romania Subarctic: Scandinavia
- 14. POLAR CLIMATES 14 • Withinthe Arctic & Antarctic Circles near North & South Poles 1. Tundra climate- (Northern Alaska) • short summers, temperatures can reach 50 degrees F; wildflowers & migratory birds, whales, nutrient rich waters 2. Ice Cap (Antarctica) • Temperatures rarely above freezing, constant ice • Skies clear, & precipitation low (Antarctica, largest, driest desert on Earth) • Little life
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- 16. Periodic Disruptions: • LaNina- period where warm water moves towards the West Pacific (cooler, snows in US) • El Nino- a period when warm water is moving more towards the East Pacific (warmer & rainier in Central America) 16 La Nina El Nino VIDEO El Nino (3 min
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- 18. ATMOSPHERIC VARIABLES What factorscauses changes in the climate? 1. Biotic processes 2. Sun: Variations in solar radiation 3. Plate tectonics 4. Volcanic eruptions & LIPS 5. Cryosphere 6. Astronomy: Milankovich Cycles 7. Greenhouse gases • Oceans • Human-caused 18
- 19. 1. Biotic processes(life) • Respiration: breathing in/out O2 and CO2 • Transpiration: release of H20 and CO2 • Waste products • Recycling of gases after death 19
- 20. • Life affectsgas cycles: • Carbon Cycle • Water Cycle • Cloud formation • Weathering EXAMPLE: 2.4 bya The Great Oxidation Event (put oxygen into atmosphere) http://guardianlv.com/2014/02/australian-crystal-found-is-4-4-billion-years-old/ 20 VIDEO That time oxygen almost killed everything (3 min)
- 21. 2. Variations insolar radiation • amount affects photosynthesis, precipitation, wind patterns, temperature (AFFECTS LIFE) • Sun has cycles of solar storms (flares) & sun spots which could affect earth & it’s life • sunspots/flares emit more solar radiation (warmer) EXAMPLE: 1550-1850 Little Ice Age- less solar activity Thames River: HENDRICK AVERCAMP'S LITTLE ICE AGE VIDEO: CC 4- Climate change, chaos & little Ice Age (10 min) 21
- 22. 3. Plate tectonics •shape of the continents determine ocean & wind currents • How heat is transferred • How much moisture http://www.bgs.ac.uk/discoveringGeology/climateChange/general/causes.html?src=topNav 22
- 23. EXAMPLES: • Mountains vs.plains • Large continent vs. several smaller ones • Connection of two continents block off ocean currents- Isthmus of Panama 23VIDEO Plate tectonics and Cont Drift: Mass Extinctions (7 min)
- 24. • IN PAST-tectonic movement caused big storage of Carbon- fossil fuels TODAY: Coal mines Carboniferous Era VIDEO:Formation of Fossil Fuels (2:30)) 24
- 25. 4. Volcanic eruptions& LIPs • spew gases into the atmosphere- changes chemistry (LIFE) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-29399306 Mt Ontake 9/27/2014 25
- 26. • LIP- largeigneous provinces Places where large igneous rock beds indicate a past flow of lava from cracks in the crust 26VIDEO: Large Igneous Provice (45 sec)
- 27. • Can blockout sunlight, preventing photosynthesis (LIFE) • Meteor induced http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/13/130212--chicxulub-asteroid-dinosaurs-volcano-mass-extinction- environment-science/ VIDEO: Large Igneous Province formation (2:00) 27
- 28. MODERN EXAMPLES: 1815 Mt.Tambora: Year without a Summer 1991: Mt. Pinatubo: global temp down 0.9˚F for 3 yrs 28
- 29. 5. Cryosphere: icelayer affects climate… http://www.toppforskningsinitiativet.org/en/programmer-1/program-2 http://rramu0153.wordpress.com/ 29
- 30. • During iceages, sea levels are lower • water/run-off is trapped in ice • not in water cycle = DRIER VIDEO: Changing Sea Levels: Ice Age Sculpting Story (2 min) 30
- 31. • Albedo: amountof ice affects temperature: • more ice: more sunlight is reflected back off Earth • less ice: Earth absorbs more solar Energy • Carbon sink: ice keeps dead organisms from decomposing (more carbon) is absorbed than released; • as ice melts… more CO2 is released 31
- 32. 6. Milankovitch Cyclevariation in intensity of sunlight due to slight variation in Earth’s orbit • Pace setter for cycles of warming & cooling 32
- 33. http://www.bgs.ac.uk/discoveringGeology/climateChange/ge neral/causes.html?src=topNav http://www.southwestclimatechan ge.org/figures/milankovitch Orbital shape: (eccentricity) Earth’s orbitchanges from it’s elliptical shape; 100,000 yrs Orbital axis wobble: Changes in tilt causes strength of seasons 20,000- 40,000 yrs VIDEO: Orbital Forcing (1 min) 33
- 34. 7. Greenhouse Gases •More greenhouse gases = thicker blanket, holding in solar radiation (warmer) • Fewer greenhouse gases = thinner blanket, trapping less solar radiation= (cooler) http://www.ib.bioninja.com.au/standard-level/topic-5-ecology-and- evoluti/52-the-greenhouse-effect.html 34
- 35. • Natural Causes •Cold oceans absorb gases: CO2 • Warm oceans release gases: CO2 • CH (methane) from decay • Permafrost melting releases trapped CH4 4 35
- 36. • Human contributions& links to industrialization • Burning hydrocarbons: Release of carbon into the air through burning of fossil fuels & cement manufacture increases the greenhouse layer: CO2 carbon dioxide CH4 methane H2O water vapor 36 anthropocentric
- 37. Aerosol increase (tiny particlesin atmosphere) Man-made CFC’s- chlorofluorocarbons can be put into aerosols & refrigerants; combines with and destroys ozone layer; banned in the US 37
- 38. Deforestation- cutting downof forests; • trees absorb CO2; by cutting them down, we are eliminating a natural carbon sink • We are cutting down 50 soccer fields of forest each minute • production of soy, timber, beef and palm oil. 38
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- 40. Slash & burn-burning of fields for agricultural purposes put hydrocarbons into the air 40
- 41. HOW DO WEKNOW CLIMATE HAS CHANGED OVER EARTH’S HISTORY? Ancient air is not around to be studied like rocks from the lithosphere are… or is it? • Paleoclimatology- study of ancient climate 41
- 42. SCIENTISTS USE CLUESIN… 1. Radiometric dating in rocks & sediment- Scientists compare sea floor cores (composition & past temperature) 2. Loess composition (ancient pollen in strata or rocks 42
- 43. 3. Ancient fossils: foraminiferain ancient sea beds 43
- 44. 4. Ice coredata: layer size, pattern & composition Frozen water expands trapping air molecules! VIDEO : Drilling back to the Future (6:20) 44
- 45. Ice Core Samples •Samples of ancient air! • Show past atmosphere composition • Show aerosols (small particles in air) • Scientists can count layers yearly • Can be checked with major known eruptions (like Pompeii in 79CE) VIDEO 1: Drilling for Ice (3:20) 45
- 46. 5. Glaciers: Moraine sediments 6.Evidence left of past sea levels • On shore • in ancient coral beds 46
- 47.
- 48. Earth’s pattern ofBig Ice Ages have little ice ages (glacials) within them. In between glaciations, are periods of global warming (interglacials.) -------------------------------------------------------------------- LATEST GLACIATION: We’re in it (it’s why we have polar ice caps) Quaternary Glaciation 2.6 million years ago to the present • GLACIAL: Pleistocene Epoch: most recent Epoch in Earth’s history- glacier cycles ended 10,000 years ago 48
- 49. • Last iceage: around 10,000 years ago • Today we are in the Holocene Epoch, a period of warming (interglacial) 49
- 50. Glacials of theQuaternary glaciation: • Used to occur every 41,000 years • During the last 800,000 years, the spacing has stretched to every 100,000 years • Ice sheets grow for 90,000 years, take 10,000 years to melt during interglacials. Then the process repeats itself. 50
- 51. Ice cores anddeep sea cores show the same pattern: Brief warmth http://www.skepticalscience.com/trend_and_variation.html 51 Longer cold
- 52. • Feedback mechanisms:natural responses that add to the system, causing it to continue in one direction ??? How is the Milankovitch Cycle a pace maker to trigger Ice Ages??? ??? What are the feedback mechanisms that amplify the Mil. Cycle??? 52
- 53. • 1980’s scientistsnoticed CO levels went up or down with the temperature in the past • Russian Vostok Station (1957 +) cores • CO2 & CH4 during Ice Age • CO2 & CH4 in warm periods GAS KEY 2 53
- 54. 54 • Climate SensitivityCO2 levels in the past 750,000 yrs were at 180-280 parts per million • In 2012: levels were at 400 ppm and rising (methane too) VIDEO: Climate change Tetris (2:40)
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- 56. Changes in Feedback? InPAST glaciations it appears that: • Sunlight • Temperature • CO2 & CH4 from oceans Making a warming loop until Mil. Cycle turns the cycle towards cooling again CO & CH increase 2 4Ice melts- albedo decreases Temperature increases 56
- 57. THEN orbital shift: •Sunlight • Temperature • CO2 & CH4 from oceans Making a cooling loop until Mil. Cycle turns the cycle towards warming CO & CH decrease 2 4Ice forms- albedo increases Temperature decreases decreased 57
- 58. Temperature CO & CH24 CO & CH2 4 Temperature FASTER SLOWER 58
- 59. IN THE PAST: •Temp increased b/c of sun angle shift • Sun angle shift started the loop, increasing the greenhouse gases & warmth NEW: • Orbital shift isn’t triggering the warming trend • extra greenhouse gases are starting the process • NOW- CO2 levels are increasing the temperature first 59
- 60. NEW: Gas levelsrising faster than anything seen for millions of years & natural feedbacks are kicking in… • Warmer seas (What if all the Ice melted? 5:50) • Glaciers/ice caps are melting VIDEO NASA Sea Ice 2008 (3:00) • Sea levels rising video VIDEO: Sea levels rising (3:30 min) • Drying forests (VIDEO: Tropical Dry Forests (4 min) • Methane from Arctic melt (VIDEO: Exploding methane gas bubbles 3 min) • Ocean acidification (pH changes) VIDEO: NOAA Ocean Acidification 4 min • Species diversity is declining (VIDEO: Why biodiversity is so important 4 min) • Coral reefs dying (VIDEO: Coral Reefs &B Climate Change 12 min) 60
- 61. What will thosechanges be? VIDEO: Crash Course-Climate Change (10:00) 61 • Greenhouse warming & other human influences strong enough to change the natural trend • Could launch Earth into a wholly new climate trend (new pattern) CONCLUSION Geological record verifies with independent methods & data the process computer models are predicting: Disruption of climate from its recent patterns
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- 63. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change#mediaviewer/Fil e:NSFmonsoonsandclimatesince200AD.jpg Human civilizations affectedby climate changes: VIDEO 2: 300 yrs of fossil fuels in 300 sec (5:30) VIDEO 1: Climate 101 with Bill Nye (4:30) 63 (VIDEO Scientists look back to Ice Age to Predict sea level rises 12 min)
- 64. Large scale development(urbanization) leads to regional changes in climate: Heat islands in large cities • NYC • Beijing • Chicago Smog Pavement & roofs get hotter than the air while shaded or moist surfaces in rural areas remain close to air temperatures 64
- 65. Heat Island Consequences: •Elevated emissions of air pollutants & greenhouse gases • Compromised health • Impaired water quality • Increased energy consumption (AC) 65 VIDEO: NASA Urban Heat Islands 2:30
- 66. Strategies to combatheat islands: (EPA) • Planting trees & vegetation in cities • Green roofs: growing vegetation on rooftops Beruit NYC Chicago 66 VIDEO Do Cities need more green roofs NPR: 3:50
- 67. Strategies to combatheat islands: (EPA) • Cool roofs: installing roofs that reflect sunlight away from buildings • Cool pavements: using paving materials that reflect & not absorb light 67VIDEO: Cool Roofs (2 min)
- 68. • Smart growth:mix land uses, compact building design, walkable neighborhoods, preserve open space, farmland, direct development towards existing communities, variety of transportation choices, make development decisions predictable, fair, & cost effective 68 VIDEO: Climate Change: What can we do? 2:10 VIDEO: What you can do about climate change(10 min)